Joe Biden Reminds Gaza's Population Was A Big Mistake, Israeli President: We Can't Leave The Empty Space

Israeli President Isaac Herzog. (Wikimedia Commons/Spokesperson unit of the President of Israel/Kobi Gideon)

JAKARTA - Israeli President Isaac Herzog said there needed to be a very strong force remaining in Gaza to prevent the resurgence of Hamas, saying the region could not simply be abandoned, while President Joe Biden warned the occupation of the enclave was a mistake.

Israel bombarded and blockaded Gaza after the militant group Hamas attacked the southern region of the country on 7 October.

For more than a month of war, Israel began land operations in Gaza. A number of countries in the Middle East region are concerned about the Israeli occupation, although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country did not want to occupy Gaza, but said it needed security responsibility in Gaza after the war.

"If we back down, then who will take over? We can't leave the vacuum. We have to think about what the mechanism is, there are lots of ideas to come up with," President Herzog said in an interview with the FT published Thursday.

"But no one wants to turn this place, Gaza, into a terror base again," he added.

President Herzog said the Israeli government of Israel was discussing many ideas about how Gaza would be managed after the war ended, adding it was assuming that the United States and "our neighbors in the region" would have involvement in the post-conflict order.

Yesterday, President Biden said he had explained to PM Netanyahu that the two-state solution was the only answer to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and occupying Gaza would be a "big mistake."

"I have explained to Israel, in my opinion, it is a big mistake if they occupy Gaza," he said.

As previously reported, PM Netanyahu said on several occasions that his party plans to maintain security control in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier this week he said Israeli forces had the right to take action to stop any threats against Israel from the enclave.

"To guarantee there will be no threats, whenever necessary, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will continue to carry out security control in the Gaza Strip, ensuring terrorism will not come from there, as the October 7 attacks are proven, wherever there is no control of Israel, there will be threats. This is also proven in Judea and Samaria (Israel's designation for the West Bank), which is why I will not compromise security control under any circumstances," he explained, citing TASS.

Separately, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a meeting with US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said Gaza was an integral part of the country Palestinians want.

"We will fully assume our responsibility within the framework of a comprehensive political solution that covers the entire West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip," President Abbas was quoted as saying by WAFA.